Arrangement for guiding the web at the discharge side of the doffer in carding machines



Jan. 10, 1967 REn-ERER 3,296,663

ARRANGEMENT FOR GUIDING THE WEB AT THE DISCHARGE SIDE OF THE DOFFER INCARDING MACHINES Flled June 22, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l V'LINTOR l lFERDINAND REITERER A TTOR/VEYS Jan. 10, 1967 REITER F. ER 3,296,663 ARRMENT FOR GUIDING THE WEB AT THE DISCHARGE DE OF THE DOFFER IN CARDINGMACHINES Filed June 22, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENFOR FERDINANDREITERER ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofiice Patented Jan. 10, 159670, 9 4 Claims. (Cl. 19-106) This invention relates to devices forguiding the web of fibers delivered from the doffer of a carding machinetoward a trumpet in which the web is formed into a sliver and, moreparticularly, to a new and improved web guide arrangement permitting ahigher speed of carding machine operation.

In conventional carding machines, wherein a layer of fibers, after beingcombed on the surface of a main cylinder or swift, is condensed in webform on the clothing of a doffer cylinder, the web of fibers is detachedfrom the dotfer surface and directed toward a trumpet and a pair ofcalender rolls where it is converted from the sheet-like form of the webinto the rope-like form of a sliver. Accordingly, in the space betweenthe web=detaching mechanism and the trumpet, the web assumes atriangular form wherein the selvedges of the web must traverse a greaterdistance at the same instant than a corresponding segment at the centerof the web. For example, if the width of the web detached from thedoffer is three feet and the trumpet is centrally located one foot awayfrom the web detacher, the slant distance along the selvedges of the webfrom the detacher to the trumpet is about 22 inches or 80% greater thanthe length of a corresponding segment at the center of the web.

As a result of this stretching along the selvedges, it is necessary inorder to avoid breaking of the web that the rate of motion of the webthrough the trumpet and calender rolls be reduced below the rate ofdelivery from the web-detaching mechanism. Such rate reduction, however,will obviously cause the web to become slack in the center portion and,with the web disposed in its usual horizontal path between the dofferand the trumpet, the center portion of the web will hang down or bellyout to a considerable degree, which not only tends to produce anon-uniform sliver but, at high rates of carding machine operation, cancause breakage of the web. Moreover, it is not possible to support theweb at the center in its horizontal path since even the smoothestsurfaces, when held in contact with the moving web, produce enoughfrictional drag to cause disruption and breakage.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a newand improved arrangement for guiding the web at the discharge side ofthe doffer which effectively overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantagesof conventional arrangements.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improvedweb-guiding arrangement which permits high speed operation of thecarding machine.

A further object of the invention is to provide a webguiding arrangementwhich prevents bellying out of the web and assures greater uniformity ofthe sliver which is formed therefrom.

These and other objects of the invention are attained by providing, in acarding machine having a cylinder upon which a web of fibers is carriedand having a webdetaching arrangement at one side of that cylinder forremoving the web of fibers therefrom, trumpet means for condensing theweb of fibers into a sliver dispose-d in the same vertical plane as theweb-detaching arrangement so as to receive the web of fibers therefromalong a substantially vertical path. Preferably, the trumpet is disposedbelow the web-detaching arrangement and a pneumatic guiding arrangementis provided whereby the web is guided in its vertical path by aircurrents directed toward the trumpet means. In a particular embodiment,the air is directed through channel members which are inclined towardthe trumpet along the path of the converging web and thereby enclose theselvedges. In addition, a casing may be provided between the channelmembers, including baffie plates, to divert impurities away from the webas it converges and a suction chamber may be disposed below the bafileplates to collect the diverted impurities. Also, to facilitate threadingof the web, one side of each channel member may be hingedly mounted soas to open toward the operator and a linkage may be provided to retractthe bafiie plates when the sides of the channel members are open.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from areading of the following description in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary view in longitudinal section taken on the line1-1 of FIG. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows, illustrating acarding machine provided with a representative web-guiding arrangementin accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the machine shown in FIG. 1, furtherillustrating the web-guiding arrangement; and

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary view in horizontal section taken along the line3-3 of FIG. 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows, illustratingthe lower portion of the webguiding arrangement.

In the carding machine partially represented in FIGS. 1 and 2, a doffercylinder 10, having a toothed clothing 11 mounted on its outer surface,rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 1 so as todeliver a web of fibers 12 to a web-detaching arrangement 13. Ifdesired, detaching of the web may be facilitated by air blown outwardlythrough an internal duct 14 within the doffer toward the web-detachingarrangement, the doffer surface being provided with openings 15 to allowpassage of the air.

As illustrated in the drawings, the detaching arrangement 13 comprises aprimary detaching roller 16 having a toothed surface and rotating in thesame angular direction as the doffer 1d so as to deflect the web offibers away from the doffer surface and toward a second detaching roller17 having a smooth surface which rotates in the opposite angulardirection. The web is then drawn about the second detaching roller andbetween that roller and a third detaching roller 18 by rotation of thethird roller in the same direction as the first roller. In addition, arotary cleaning brush 19 and a suction chamber 20 are mounted adjacentto the primary detaching roller 16 to clean the teeth thereof and arubber scraper 21 is positioned to remove any fibers which might clingto the surface of the second detaching roller 17 In accordance with thepresent invention, a condens ing trumpet member 22 and calender rolls 23and 24 of the usual type are provided but rather than being disposedforwardly from and at about the same horizontal level as theweb-detaching arrangement 13 in the customary manner, the trumpet 22 andcalender rolls 23 and 24 are located directly below the detachingarrangement so that the web 12 passes in a substantially vertical planefrom the detaching roller 17 to the trumpet as illustrated in FIG. 1.Consequently, on its downward path, the loose central portion of the web12 does not belly out in either direction but instead remains insubstantially the same plane as the tightly drawn selvedges, therebypreventing irregularities in the sliver 27 which would result frombellying out of the loose portion and also permitting 3 high speedmachine operation without causing breakage of the web.

To facilitate the inward convergence of the web 12 from the detachingarrangement 13 toward the trumpet 22, while maintaining the web in asubstantially vertical plane, a pneumatic web-guiding arrangement 26 ispreferably provided. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, thepneumatic guiding device comprises two opposed channel members 27 and 28which are inwardly inclined from the detaching roller 17 toward thetrumpet 22 along the path of web convergence so as to partially surroundthe two web selvedges, respectively, as they travel along convergingpaths. Two air nozzles 29 and 30, one at the upper end of each housing,direct a stream of air along the bottom of each channel towardcorresponding openings 31 and 32 in a suction housing 33 which surroundsthe trumpet 22 and from which air is drawn by two conduits 34 and 35,the openings 31 and 32 being separated from the region of the trumpet 22by two projecting curved bafiles 36 and 37, respectively, which deflectthe air into the suction housing 33.

In the space between the downwardly directed web 12 and the doffer 10,the guiding device includes a rear wall 38 connecting the channelmembers 27 and 28 and between the web 12 and the rear wall 38 twohorizontally extending pivotally mounted baffles 39 and 40 are provided.As best seen in FIG. 1, these battles are pivotable between a normalforward position close to the web 12, in which any particles of dirt orother impurities falling from the detaching arrangement will bedeflected toward the rear wall 38, and a retracted position shown indotted outlines in FIG. 1. To collect the impurities thus deflected, thesuction housing 33 includes an opening 41 extending along the rear wall38 from one side of the housing to the other.

As an aid to threading of the web 12 through the web guide device 26,the front walls 42 and 43 thereof are hingedly mounted on the channelmembers 27 and 28, respectively, so that they may be swung outwardlyfrom the normal selvedge-enclosing positions illustrated in solid linesin the drawings to the dotted line positions shown in FIG. 3. In thedotted line open positions, moreover, the side wall 43 depresses twocontrol rods 44 and 45 (only one of which is visible in FIG. 3) toactuate the retracting mechanisms 46 and 47 for the batfies 39 and 40,respectively, these mechanisms being spring-biased to restore thebafiles to their normally extended positions when the front wall 43 isreleased from a magnetic catch which tends to retain it in the openposition. If desired, in order to allow sufficient space for thewebguiding device 26 adjacent to the doffer and to facilitate convenientaccess thereto, the dofier may be raised above its usual position in thecarding machine or it may be of larger than the usual diameter.

In operation, to thread the web 12 through the guiding device 26 and thetrumpet 22, the walls 42 and 43 of the channels 27 and 28 are swungoutwardly to the dotted line positions shown in FIG. 3, therebyretracting the baflles 39 and 40 in the manner previously described.When the web has been threaded, the walls 42 and 43 are returned totheir normal positions, thereby restoring the bullies 39 and 40 to theextended positions. Thereafter, when the dofier operation is commenced,the converging motion of the web in a vertical plane prevents bellyingout of the loose center portion of the web, thereby eliminatingirregularities from the sliver. Moreover, the gentle pneumatic guidingaction of the air currents directed through the channels 27 and 28facilitates convergence of the web into the trumpet rapidly withoutbreakage, thereby permitting a high speed of operation of the cardingmachine.

Although the invention has been described herein with reference to aspecific embodiment, many modifications and variations therein willreadily occur to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, all suchvariations and modifications are included within the intended scope ofthe invention as defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a carding machine including a cylinder upon which a web of fibersis carried, web-detaching means adjacent to the cylinder for removingthe web of fibers therefrom, and trumpet means for condensing the webinto a sliver, means disposing the trumpet means substantially in avertical plane which includes the web-detaching means so that thetrumpet means receive the web of fibers from the web-detaching meansalong a substantially vertical path, thereby causing any loose webportions to remain in substantially the same plane as the remainder ofthe web, pneumatic web guiding means disposed adjacent to the verticalpath of the web between the web-detaching means and the trumpet means tofacilitate smooth convengence of the web toward the trumpet means,wherein the pneumatic web guiding means comprises a pair of channelmeans directed toward the trumpet means in the vertical plane of the weband air supply means for directing a current of air along each channelmeans toward the trumpet means, and wherein one side wall of eachchannel means is hingedly mounted so that it may be opened to facilitatethreading of the web from the webdetaching means to the trumpet means.

2. In a carding machine including a cylinder upon which a web of fibersis carried, web-detaching means adjacent to the cylinder for removingthe web of fibers therefrom, and trumpet means for condensing the webinto a sliver, means disposing the trumpet means substantially in avertical plane which includes the webdetaching means so that the trumpetmeans receive the web of fibers from the web-detaching means along asubstantially vertical path, thereby causing any loose web portions toremain in substantially the same plane as the remainder of the web,pneumatic web guiding means disposed adjacent to the vertical path ofthe web between the web-detaching means and the trumpet means tofacilitate smooth convergence of the web toward the trumpet means,wherein the pneumatic web-guiding means comprises a pair of channelmeans directed toward the trumpet means in the vertical plane of the weband air supply means for directing a current of air along each channelmeans toward the trumpet means, and including suction chamber meansdisposed adjacent to the trumpet means to receive the currents of airdirected through the channel means toward the trumpet means.

3. A carding machine according to claim 2 including Wall means extendingbetween the channel means along one side thereof, bafile means disposedbetween the wall means and the path of the web to divert impurities awayfrom the web, and means forming an opening in the suc tion chamber meansto draw air from the region of the bafile means.

4. A carding machine according to claim 3 including means for mountingthe baffle means for motion between a normal extended position spacedfrom the wall means and a retracted position adjacent to the wall means,means for mounting the side wall of each channel means on the sideopposite the wall means for motion to permit opening of the channelmeans to facilitate threading of the web, and means responsive toopening of the side walls of the channel means to cause retraction ofthe baffie means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,903,751 9/1959Allred 19-106 X 3,119,152 1/1964 Kalwaites 19-106 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,149of 1877 Great Britain.

MERVIN STEIN, Primary Examiner. P. C. FAW, D. NEWTON, AssistantExaminers.

1. IN A CARDING MACHINE INCLUDING A CYLINDER UPON WHICH A WEB OF FIBERSIS CARRIED, WEB-DETACHING MEANS ADJACENT TO THE CYLINDER FOR REMOVINGTHE WEB OF FIBERS THEREFROM, AND TRUMPET MEANS FOR CONDENSING THE WEBINTO A SILVER, MEANS DISPOSING THE TRUMPET MEANS SUBSTANTIALLY IN AVERTICAL PLANE WHICH INCLUDES THE WEB-DETACHING MEANS SO THAT THETRUMPET MEANS RECEIVE THE WEB OF FIBERS FROM THE WEB-DETACHING MEANSALONG A SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICAL PATH, THEREBY CAUSING ANY LOOSE WEBPORTIONS TO REMAIN IN SUBSTANTIALLY THE SAME PLANE AS THE REMAINDER OFTHE WEB, PNEUMATIC WEB GUIDING MEANS DISPOSED ADJACENT TO THE VERTICALPATH OF THE WEB BETWEEN THE WEB-DETACHING MEANS AND THE TRUMPET MEANS TOFACILITATE SMOOTH CONVERGENCE OF THE WEB TOWARD THE TRUMPET MEANS,WHEREIN THE PNEUMATIC WEB-GUIDING MEANS COMPRISES A PAIR OF CHANNELMEANS DIRECTED TOWARD THE TRUMPET MEANS IN THE VERTICAL PLANE OF THE WEBAND AIR SUPPLY MEANS FOR DIRECTING A CURRENT OF AIR ALONG EACH CHANNELMEANS TOWARD THE TRUMPET MEANS, AND WHEREIN ONE SIDE WALL OF EACHCHANNEL MEANS IS HINGEDLY MOUNTED SO THAT IT MAY BE OPENED TO FACILITATETHREADING OF THE WEB FROM THE WEBDETACHING MEANS TO THE TRUMPET MEANS.